Bruno Mars announced at a recent concert that he will donate $1 million to the victims of the Flint water crisis in Michigan. The donation will help residents caught up in the lead-contaminated drinking water scandal. Michigan was declared a state of emergency in 2014, after an outbreak of Legionnaires disease in the area because of the contaminated water. The Grammy award-winning singer will donate funds from his show at Auburn Hills to the Community Foundation of Greater Flint.
Bruno Mars said, ‘As Americans, we need to stand together’
Last Saturday, Bruno Mars surprised the crowd while performing at the Palace of Auburn Hills by announcing that he will be going to donate $1 million to the victims of Flint water scandal.
According to Michigan Radio, “24K Magic World Tour” promoter Live Nation, earnings from sold tickets will be forwarded to the Foundation for Flint victims. In an interview with ABC News, Mars said that he is very thankful to the Michigan audience for supporting and joining him in this good cause. He said that the ongoing problem of the Flint residents has remained up until now, and it is important that all of us should help our brothers and sisters affected by this disaster. Furthermore, he said that “ As Americans, we should all stand together to make sure this thing will never happen again.”
Continuing crisis in Flint, Michigan because of contaminated water
At the moment, residents of Flint are still suffering from the disaster.
The water crisis started when Flint authorities switched water sources to save funds. It was later found out that the new water source contains dangerous levels of lead because of insufficient water treatment. The public health issues continue as nearly 100,000 residents are still exposed to dangerous lead, with children and elderly being at high risk.
Since the beginning of the scandal, 12 residents have died through Legionnaires disease, which experts linked to improperly cleansed water. Since the declaration of the state of emergency in the area, Flint residents have been urged to use and drink only bottled water. So far five government officials have been charged with involuntary manslaughter, including the director of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, Nick Lyon.
According to the local government, the water system in the area is still broken and will need a large amount of funding to recover from the city’s lead tainted tap water crisis.
